At the Indianapolis Public Library, the 2025 “Meet the Artists” XXXVII exhibit highlights and promotes local Black artists and their work.
Since the exhibit’s annual opening on Jan. 29, the works of many Black artists have been on display throughout Central Library. Curator and founder of the exhibit Anthony Radford has witnessed the exhibit’s growth in popularity in recent years.
“Now, people call, and they get put on a waiting list,” Radford said. “It’s gotten so popular now, so I don’t have to do a whole lot of land work, but it’s just been phenomenal to have a platform … for the artists to be able to share their creations with the general public.”
The exhibit includes a variety of art mediums. Roqstarr Denim, an artist featured in the exhibit, mainly uses denim with other clothing, furniture and dark paint. Denim said she spent most of her life as a nurse, but when the pandemic hit, she was laid off from the company she worked for. This situation inspired her to pursue her passion for art.
“I figured I wouldn’t let anybody else determine my faith,” Denim said. “I started doing the things that I love, and it became a career.”
Another artist featured in the exhibit, Latoya R. Marlin, uses a variety of different mediums including oil and acrylic paint, fabric, wood and objects she has found. Marlin said her work primarily features people, particularly women, to show “how women are beautiful, all shapes and sizes, all colors.”
Marlin said having her art exhibited has allowed her to feel closer to the Indianapolis art community. She said it has grown outside of herself and helps other artists and creatives in the city. For Denim, being a part of “Meet the Artists” shows how the treatment of people of color in society has evolved.
“It means everything to me because once upon a time, it was illegal for us to read and learn to read or even own books, so for my art to be in a museum is just like us evolving,” Denim said.On Friday, March 28, “Meet the Artists” will have its fourth Friday Celebration from 6-9 p.m. at the Central Library. Guests will be able to meet and greet the featured artists. More information can be found at www.indypl.org/programs-events/meet-the-artists.
